02091nas a2200409   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653000900065653003600074653003400110653003100144653001900175653001100194653001400205653001100219653001200230653002400242653002500266653002500291653000900316653001600325653002500341653004400366653002100410100001200431700001200443700001800455700001600473700001400489245006200503856005600565300001100621490000700632520102800639022001401667       2008                            d  c2008 Apr10aAdult10aAged10aComplement Pathway, Alternative10aComplement Pathway, Classical10aComplement System Proteins10aDNA, Bacterial10aFemale10aHemolysis10aHumans10aleprosy10aLeprosy, Borderline10aLeprosy, lepromatous10aLeprosy, Tuberculoid10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMycobacterium leprae10aOligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis10aReference Values1 aGomes G1 aNahn EP1 aSantos RK R G1 aDa Silva WD1 aKipnis TL00aThe functional state of the complement system in leprosy.  uhttp://www.ajtmh.org/content/78/4/605.full.pdf+html  a605-100 v783 a<p>Ninety-one patients with different clinical forms of leprosy, 36 lepromatous (LL), 33 tuberculoid (TL), and 22 dimorphic (DL), and 31 healthy volunteer donors were included in this study. Total complement system (CS) activity was assessed by hemolytic methods, whereas individual components were quantified by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Under conditions allowing initiation of cascade by the classic pathway (CP) but not alternative pathway (AP) activation, significant CS consumption was detected only in sera from patients with LL. In this group of patients, C4 but not factor B (fB) or C3 was significantly reduced, whereas mannose-binding lectin (MBL) serum levels were significantly higher. These results indicate that the CP is involved in CS activation in patients infected with Mycobacterium leprae manifesting LL clinical form of leprosy. An association is likely between circulating immune complexes and MBL high serum levels for initiation of CS activation in patients with LL form of leprosy.</p>  a1476-1645